The Last Night I Will Ever See
by cookies41
Summary: This is just a short story of the interim between when Esmeralda was captured to when she goes to her execution. It also includes a 2nd chapter of what she thinks and feels when she is on the bonfire
1. These Stone Walls

"_You're Mine!"_

That's what he said as the guards threw her in the cart to lead her to this, a fate that she thought she would never see. Here she was, trapped in 4 stone walls awaiting what she knew, was the end of her time on this earth.

Djali had been taken from her when she arrived at the jail, Quasi had been taken back to the bell tower, and who knows what Frollo would have done to him –and Phoebus had been taken to a completely separate area –he had just managed to grab her as she kicked and punched the guards to try and get free. He had said "Stay strong, have courage."

Courage.

Strength.

She had that in bundles; she had had to survive the streets of Paris as a gypsy for 15 years, ever since her parents died in a pit of flames that she had just managed to escape. However, she was now struggling to see a way out of this situation. She began pacing around the room, not quite knowing what to do with herself. She had no idea how long she had been in this room, but it was long enough for her. It was dark outside, but she had no thoughts of sleeping – she was afraid that every time she closed her eyes she would see that sneering face, the face of evil that was that monster Frollo. Oh how she despised him!

She would not let him win. She would never be his!

...

_...A laugh grew louder and louder out of the smoke and flames, Esmeralda tried to see where it was coming from but her eyes burned at the intensity of the flames. Suddenly the smoke subsided enough for her to see the face of evil itself, the master of the gates of hell; Frollo._

"_You're Mine, Witch!"_

"_No, No, No..."_

Esmeralda woke with a start. It was just a dream, just a dream. She realised it was light and that she must have fallen asleep. She straightened her hair with her hands and sat up. She tried to imagine it was all a dream, but it wasn't, and she was still trapped in this miserable place. She heard rustling from outside the cell door and she started getting up and going towards the furthest end of the room. Two guards came in, followed by Frollo. He had a sick, twisted smile on his face – it looked like he had just won the lottery.

"Leave us" he commanded. The guards bowed and left at once, shutting the cell door behind them. Now Esmeralda was trapped in this room with this monster.

"You have no idea how...pleased I am that you are finally in my grasp." His took his time with his words, clearing enjoying the power that he possessed over her.

"Believe me, the pleasure is not reciprocated." Her face was full of anger and contempt, her body tense. She was ready to fight him off if she had to, and as if Frollo could sense this he held his hands up.

"I'm not here to harm you. Just simply to offer...a proposition, if you will." He casually took a few steps back allowing Esmeralda to move from her position in the back of the room until they were both circling each other in the cramped cell room. "I wish to offer you a way out. Like I once told you, gypsy's don't do well inside stone walls, and yet here you stand-in a cramped, confined cell room. I don't want that as much as you do. So I wish to offer you...safe passage if you will. Tonight, you are destined to be the main centrepiece of a bonfire in the square outside Notre Dame. If you do not wish to die in a apparition of flames, in front of your beloved Bell Ringer and traitorous Captain, I suggest you take my offer –be mine, or die!"

"NEVER! You will never have me!" He suddenly flew towards her, pinning her against the wall, her arms above her head. She stared him down, trying desperately not to show the intense fear she had in her eyes. Her fear was strong but her moral and her determination was like a fire in her belly. "Oh...but you will gypsy. You will." he snarled. "If I can't have you, then believe ME no one will!" He held her there for what seemed like a lifetime, and with one last smell of her hair and scent, he left her stood there, sweeping out of the cell like a bat from hell.

...

Esmeralda's resolve was set. No matter what fate lay before her she was not going to succumb to Frollo's wishes and become his; she would rather die than suffer that fate. The guards came back hours later holding a white ragged dress, ordering her to put it on. As she slowly undressed, taking off her prized head band, bangles and gypsy clothing, she began to think about the things she had never done, had never said. She had never thanked Clopin enough for taking her in when she was younger, she had never thanked the old woman who had given her Djali, thanked her for giving her the opportunity to know the most loyal companion of them all, she had never told Phoebus properly-told him that she loved him with all her heart. Her eyes stung back tears as she heard more movement outside her cell. She heard shouts of other gypsy's –she so hoped that they were not to suffer the same fate she was. Finally, she heard the guards unlock her door, she was glad to finally be out of that room, to breathe different air again. The Paris night was just beginning and Esmeralda realised it would be the last she would ever see.

...


	2. A Good Place to Die

**This second chapted is told in the 1st person of Esmerelda during the execution**

The cart was unsteady as it moved through the streets of Paris, I bumped and jostled in the back as I looked out of the bars, trying to take in my last glances at the wonderful city I call home.

I can hear the crowd before I see them, I hear lots of shouting –gruff voices of the guards and the outrage of the people of Paris. I see the red sky above me as the cathedral comes into sight – the sky looks so beautiful, it's as if God himself knows that this will likely be the last image I see, the image I will take with me to the next life.

The crowd are jeering as the cart pulls up. As I get pulled out of the cart, I suddenly see the frightened faces of Paris and it's like I'm awoken out of a strange dream, and I realise my fate. I start to tense my body as another guard grabs my other arm, dragging me up the scaffold as I see the executioner, his face lighting up when he sees me struggle. The wood is a sharp shock as I'm tied to it – I attempt to struggle more kicking the soldiers in the face –the crowd cheer more. I receive a slap in the face and my feet are tied to the wooden pole. I suddenly see the faces of my friends in cages, like animals. They're calling to me but their voices mix into one, I see Clopin in silent tears and Djali in a smaller cage struggling to get out.

One face sticks out from the rest; Phoebus. I seem him struggling with all his might against the metal bars: hitting, rattling, kicking, anything to help him get out...to get to me. His face catches mine and I see the look of pure despair. His eyes –even from this distance I can see how beautiful they are. My ears burn and I try to stop the tears from flowing...a few escape. I mouth "I love you" to him and he reciprocates.

"_The gypsy Esmeralda has refused to recant. This evil witch has put the soul of every citizen in Paris in mortal jeopardy..."_

I phased out his voice, he would not be the last thing I see and hear. I was proud of my determination, and would not be known as the gypsy who gave in to the evil of oppression. My anger subsided and fear started to take over as I could see that the last of the wood was being placed on the pile which was around me. I could see the faces of the people of Paris –some had a determined look on their faces, but a look that was about to break and others looked simply petrified. I looked around at the gypsy's in the cages, they looked even more fearful. The face of Phoebus was a mixture of fear and insatiable anger. He was staring at me, he had not taken his eyes off me, I felt as if he was my silent, watchful protector, just like he had been that day. The panic began to build inside of me as Frollo stopped talking and began to speak to the executioner. My eyes finally turned towards Notre Dame – if I had to die then I would do outside the most beautiful building I have ever seen, and inside somewhere was a man who was one of the most beautiful person I had met-inside and out.

"_For justice, for Paris and for her own salvation. It is my sacred duty to send this unholy demon back where she belongs"_

As he spoke I saw the flames in his hands and they literally looked as if he had produced his own hellfire himself. The realisation fully hit me within that moment that this was the Devil himself, come to take me away from the haven of Earth. I longed for the face of someone else, someone familiar and I fixed my eyes onto Phoebus, who at this point was leaning full out of the cage, his hand reaching towards me, his face full of pain. I started to hyperventilate, sobbing through my breaths as I fully realised my fate, and as the flames touched the wood I knew that this was the end.

I started to scream, calling for help, wondering why people weren't doing more. As I looked round I realised that the townsfolk were pushing against the guards trying to get through; others looked horrified but were too scared to do anything. I gasped as I saw how quickly the flames had engulfed around me, I started to cough the smoke intensifying slowly around me. I looked around the crowd-the fire made the people dance in a shade of red. I coughed more, crying now, I wished the tears would calm the fire; the heat was so fierce, I feared it would envelop me and that I would slowly burn, that I would feel the flames burn through my skin. I tried to focus on Phoebus now, I could see a glitter near his eyes and I realised he was silently crying. I longed for us to have the future I had dreamed of –of my love and I living in peace in my most favourite city. That was never to come to pass, and as I neared passing out, the flames were excruciating, my fear totally enveloping me-it would have brought me to my knees if I was not tied to the wooden pole. The smoke was surrounding me and the flames were everywhere that I looked. My eyes were burning, not just with tears but with the power of the flames. I could feel myself slipping into darkness as I closed my eyes; I tried to focus on Phoebus, but could no longer see him. The last image I saw was one of something that I longed to be true but was probably only a delusion of the flames. It was Quasimodo, swinging towards me on a rope. He lifted me from the pole and hoisted me high, shouting "Sanctuary!"

I passed out before knowing that this delusion was true...

**That's the end of the story guys. Everything else is explained in the film. Thanks for reading, I recently watched the film again and wanted to write this. Hope you enjoyed reading it and please review -constructive criticism is welcome :) **


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